From the Charred Remains

Lucy Campion Mysteries #2

by Susanna Calkins

It’s 1666 and the Great Fire has just decimated an already plague-ridden London. Lady’s maid Lucy Campion, along with pretty much everyone else left standing, is doing her part to help the city clean up and recover. But their efforts come to a standstill when a couple of local boys stumble across a dead body that should have been burned up in the fire but miraculously remained intact—the body of a man who died not from the plague or the fire, but from the knife plunged into his chest.

Searching for a purpose now that there’s no lady in the magistrate’s household for her to wait on, Lucy has apprenticed herself to a printmaker. But she can't help but use her free time to help the local constable, and she quickly finds herself embroiled in the murder investigation. It will take all of her wits and charm, not to mention a strong stomach and a will of steel, if Lucy hopes to make it through alive herself, in From the Charred Remains by Susanna Calkins.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Historical, British Literature, Mystery Thriller

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 22, 2014

About the author

SUSANNA CALKINS, author of the award-winning Lucy Campion series, holds a PhD in history and teaches at the college level. Her historical mysteries have been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark and Agatha awards, among many others, and The Masque of a Murderer received a Macavity. Originally from Philadelphia, Calkins now lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggh. As someone who loves historical mysteries, and can usually find SOMETHING nice to say about the media I consume, this was just.... Bland? Boring? The core mystery wouldn't be half bad if the prose had just been SLIGHTLY more interesting/descriptive/varying. Things happened too simply or too quickly. There wasn't enough characterization or build-up to evoke ANY sort of emotional response. The best I can say is that it was a relatively quick read.

[Vinnie Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read many historical mysteries. The strictures placed on a female protagonist of bygone eras can be irritating. However, From the Charred Remains gripped me with its opening scene where we find heroine Lucy Campion raking through the debris of the Great Fire of London. Author Susana Calkins, who has a doctorate in Bristish history, writes with fascinating detail of the time. I particularly liked the gossip, such as the fire started because 1666 was "the devil's year."

Perhaps sensing readers like myself, the author notes that she releases Lucy "from some of the constraints that would likely have bound her . . . ." Calkins makes clear, though, that in the chaos following the plague and Great Fire, more freedom and social mobility were possible than during surrounding periods, so Lucy's character falls within the realm of possibility. She convinced me!

Nominated for the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award, From the Charred Remains is an easy book to recommend. The plot became a little convoluted for my taste, but overall the book was a charming read.

[Laura Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in a series. Liked as much as the first, tho I think the first should be read first to get full enjoyment of this book, as is the case of many series. Lucy is apprentice to a printer and gets involved in a murder committed before the Great London Fire. Has lots of twists and turns. There is still that romance between Lucy and Adam, but Adam better make up his mind! There is someone else interested in Lucy, too. She's smart and feisty and I enjoyed the book very much.

[Lorene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this galley at the Macmillan booth at PLA. I really liked the first book and was excited to read the second one a bit early. You don't have to read the first book to like the second one, but I would recommend it for continuity of the characters and the setting. From the Charred Remains had even more going on than Murder at Rosamund's Gate. A lot of characters and their family members brought a lot of action to the story. I love Lucy Campion! She reminds me of Nancy Drew. I highly recommend both books.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy Campion stumbles upon a grisly scene in the aftermath of the Great London Fire of 1666. A corpse has been discovered amid the rubble, strangely preserved, with a knife sticking out of its chest. When a bag of miscellaneous items turns up next to the corpse, Lucy's natural curiosity kicks in, and she can't resist using her connections and wit to assist Constable Duncan in solving this mystery. I liked this one well enough to go back and read the first in the series, and I look forward to more to come.

[Alicia Riley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm disappointed with this book. What should of been fun historical fiction mystery set after the Great Fire in 1666 about servant name Lucy Campion helping to solve a murder instead turn about to be boring. I'm lucky to even get up to near page 160 before I gave up on this book.

[Louise Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a good mystery story. Had trouble putting it down.

[Abra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay... I may read another if Susanna Calkins gets another published, but the painful anachronisms in the second of her Restoration England series are becoming more numerous. The feminist former chambermaid servant is now informally apprenticed to a full on publishing empire-in-a-box -- the author acknowledges that she combined several trades (and guilds) into one, 'to make the story more logical' or something like that. Thus, printers a) make their own ink; b) write their own copy; c) make their own paper; AND set up the frames and press the inked pages. Oh, and d) hawk the wares by singing the 'penny sheets'. I mean, that last part may have been part of a printer's devil's work.

Other howlers: use of "guy" as a casual reference to a person, only sixty years after the gunpowder plot. "Not so much," as a disclaimer. Drinking tea in England in a middle class (gentry, but not noble -- a magistrate's) house when it had only been introduced to Charles II's Portuguese queen the year before...

The mystery is so-so. There are two separate strands, or maybe even two and a half, which confused matters. Another reviewer said the secondary characters were annoying -- Darius and Rhonda, the Earl of Cumberland and Jack and Tilly. I agree. And the thing of a young woman being spoiled for choice between two stalwart swains is tired.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hurray for Susanna Calkins! Her second book presented a mystery that Agatha Christie would be envious of. It was not just one mystery but several! And add a little romance and you have a 5 star book! Loved it!

[LK · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent mystery set in London just following the Great Fire, and second featuring servant, sleuth, and budding true crime writer Lucy Campion. Lovers of historical mysteries will find Campion fine company for rainy afternoons.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a "can't put it down" book. Very good story line and also plausible.

[Karen]

Looking forward to reading this second installment of a feisty educated woman!

[Sharmaine Ceballos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sorry I goofed up!Didn't mean to do a one star!

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the Charred Remains: Susanna Caulkins
👌

From Amazon: "It's 1666 and the Great Fire has just decimated an already plague-ridden London. Lady's maid Lucy Campion, along with pretty much everyone else left standing, is doing her part to help the city clean up and recover. But their efforts come to a standstill when a couple of local boys stumble across a dead body that should have been burned up in the fire but miraculously remained intact―the body of a man who died not from the plague or the fire, but from the knife plunged into his chest.

Searching for a purpose now that there's no lady in the magistrate's household for her to wait on, Lucy has apprenticed herself to a printmaker. But she can't help but use her free time to help the local constable, and she quickly finds herself embroiled in the murder investigation. It will take all of her wits and charm, not to mention a strong stomach and a will of steel, if Lucy hopes to make it through alive herself.

With From the Charred Remains, Susanna Calkins delivers another atmospheric historical mystery that will enchant readers with its feisty heroine and richly detailed depiction of life in Restoration England."

Oh, this was a good one & twisted... It definitely held my interest; but the attitude of the Constable Duncan in regards to Lucy's intelligence & crime solving abilities doesn't ring true.

[RC Prentice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think there was a lot of research that went into this book and its predecessor. Although a bit over-written—that is, with much verbiage that doesn’t particularly enhance the context or lead anywhere—the narrative does give us an in-depth glimpse at what operating a printing press and publishing broadsides might have been like in the months following the Great Fire that consumed 99% of London. It stands to reason that in the chaos that ensued, opportunities as well as misfortunes abounded for individuals to take on new identities or forever lose their former social positions. The author takes the position that casualties in the Fire’s aftermath—whether resulting from the fire or from other causes—went largely unrecorded. The murder that Lucy Campion encounters is one of them, and although, like others in the series, the entrance of Lucy’s former employer as a kind of deus-ex-machina seems a bit of a stretch, the surmised details of life-after-the-fire are engaging and provocative.

[Polly Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The mystery kept me guessing until the end and I really love Lucy as the heroine. Romance is somewhat in the book but the mystery is more important, which is refreshing. (However, I would have liked Adam to have been in the book a bit more). This book is just as well researched as the first one and I felt like I had time-travelled to the 1660s. The author acknowledges at the end of the book that Lucy does have more freedom that most women but she breaks down her reasoning why, which I very much appreciated. I am looking forward to reading more about Lucy as she matures!

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second in the Lucy Campion historical fiction series, set just after the Great London Fire of 1666. The story starts with the fire clean-up and with that, the challenges and opportunities many had to switch identities because of the lack of paperwork, burned, lost or just not available. Talk about identity theft - it was rampant!

Lucy is a strong, young woman, never fearful of taking on anyone, and although I think that type of character would have been very rare in that rough time period, I enjoyed the storyline.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the series was almost as good as the first… I really enjoyed following Lucy on her adventures. I found her new career interest fascinating. And of course the historical notes both in the book and in the authors notes at the end where extremely interesting. I like how this authors books seem to have more than one mystery even though you really think it is only one mystery at the beginning of the book. It’s fun to watch the Play evolve. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anachronistic use of forks aside (God, I'm picky), this was another enjoyable romp with Lucy in 1666 London. It did throw me that Calkins kept reiterating that the first book took place over the course of two years, because I honestly don't remember that, but the writing is smooth and the story entertaining. I'll certainly be reading book three.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Lucy Campion series and I liked it as much as the first one if not more. The author continues to really excel at setting the scene in 1666 London. You can tell she has done her research and it feels authentic. Lucy is now working for a printer and has hopes of becoming a writer one day. I loved getting to learn about the running of a printing press as Lucy did. The mystery was enjoyable and there were a few surprises but I think they worked well. I will definitely be reading the next one.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical fiction mystery with a satisfying ending and other good plot elements (well-developed characters, relationships, historical details, etc.). I liked that it's set in 1600s London in the immediate aftermath of the Great Fire and before that the Plague.

[Abby Pechin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing but a quick entertaining read.

[Melissa Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found a new author that I love and her book 📚 was amazing. I will be reading 📖 and looking out for more books 📚 from her humble desk!!!

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set after the Great Fire in London with a lady's maid involved in solving a murder investigation.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable sequel

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather boring, I did not finish

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting heroine and time period. Well written both historically and the mystery. The characters come alive, each accurate in their own sphere.

[Louise Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good mystery and interesting characters. But I really hope Lucy ends up with the constable and not her old boss's son.

[Sheila Lent · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still really like the protagonist but unfortunately, this one dragged in spots.

[Delonna]

This book seemed to drag on forever.